Ray Lewis says something’s wrong if Ed Reed’s inactive vs. Ravens

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Ray Lewis knows Ed Reed well. So well, in fact, Lewis said Tuesday that Reed’s injury is likely worse than has been announced if the veteran safety doesn’t make his Texans debut Sunday against Lewis’ former team.

“I would be (surprised). I would be, because then that would tell me that his injury hasn’t totally healed yet,” Lewis said during a media interview. “Because if he can’t go the third week into the regular season – that’s what they got him there for – if he can’t go, then there’s still something really wrong.”

The recently retired linebacker spent his entire 17-year career with Baltimore and joined Reed on the Ravens’ Super Bowl-winning team last season.

Texans coach Gary Kubiak said Monday the team came very close to activating Reed during Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans.

Reed was interviewed Tuesday by NFL Network announcer Rich Eisen. The safety said he’s been “day-to-day and week-to-week,” acknowledging he’s focused more on helping the Texans at the end of the season than coming back just to play the Ravens.

“I said it earlier in the offseason that with my rehab I’m not preparing to play against San Diego or Tennessee or even the Ravens,” Reed said. “It’s about being there for the long haul, being there for the team when it really counts, and that’s playoffs, the Super Bowl, the AFC championship game.”

Lewis will be inducted Sunday as the 16th member of the Raven’s Ring of Honor, with the ceremony taking place during halftime of the Texans-Ravens matchup.

He isn’t planning to give a pregame speech to his old team. But that could change as Sunday approaches.

“I’ll probably talk to coach [John Harbaugh] and them later in the week,” said Lewis, whose fiery pregame speeches and dances were long a fixture of Ravens games. “We’ll figure out something, if I’m going to talk to them at all. Seeing them would be enough excitement within itself.”

Reed’s comments to Eisen:

His injury: “We haven’t had any setbacks. I’ve just been day to day, week to week. I basically have just worked out before every game thus far. And like I told the reporters here, it’s just a matter of me getting that soreness and tightness out that I’ve been having. And it’s been getting better, it’s gotten a lot better, obviously, over the weeks and it gets better with rest.”

Current playing status: “We got to be smart about it, we’ve been smart about it. We really want to prepare for the longevity, why they brought me here. This team has aspirations to win the championship and that’s what we’re shooting for and it’s a long way from now. For as long as I’ve been in the league, I know that it takes a lot and it puts a lot of strain on the body. You got to be smart about what you’re doing. I’m not 25 anymore, I’m 35 now, so I know I got to be a lot smarter about what I do physically.”

If he has the Ravens circled on his calendar: “Everything that transpired between me and the Ravens is business. I had a great career there. I never saw myself playing against the Ravens so [there is] nothing in my heart or my soul that’s urging me to play. I know what I came here for, I know what I can do on the football field and I know what I will do on the football field this year; [it is] just a matter of when. I know it’s a special day because, my boy [former Ravens teammate Ray Lewis] is going in the Ring of Honor, more than deserved for him. I always pictured myself on the sidelines watching that happen at halftime or something.

It’s nothing that urged me to play this week, you know, I didn’t circle this on the calendar. I said it earlier in the offseason, that with my rehab, I’m not preparing to play against San Diego or Tennessee or even the Ravens. It’s about being there for the long haul, being there for the team when it really counts, and that’s playoffs, the Super Bowl, AFC Championship Game.”

J.J. Watt: “J.J.’s a sweet boy, man. He reminds me a lot of when Andre Johnson first came to Miami; he’s a man amongst boys. He’s a hard worker and I just try to help him as much as possible, let him know, ‘Man, it’s a long season. Be mindful of all the training that you do.’ He’s a young man so he just wants to work and he wants to get better every day. He also has room for improvement. Believe it or not, as beast as he is, he has a lot of room for improvement. I’m sure he will because like I said, all J.J. wants to do is just get better.”